was a

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

monthly magazine, published in Tokyo, Japan, between November 1905 and November 1906.
Shin kigen = New era : a monthly socialist review
'

History and profile

''Shinkigen'' emerged after the October 1905 split in the '' Heiminsha''. The first issue was published on November 10, 1905. ''Shinkigen'' was the organ of the

reformist Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...

socialist group, dominated by Christian social democrats. ''Shinkigen'' was edited by personalities such as

Abe Isoo was a Japanese Christian socialist, parliamentarian and pacifist. He largely contributed to development of baseball in Japan, and was called "Father of Japanese baseball." He created a baseball club of Waseda University. Early life and educa ...

Sen Katayama , born , was an early Japanese Marxist political activist and journalist, one of the original members of the American Communist Party and co-founder, in 1922, of the Japanese Communist Party. After 1884, he spent most of his life abroad, especia ...

, Sanshiro Ishikawa, and

Naoe Kinoshita was a Japanese Christian socialism, Christian socialist activism, activist and author. Biography Kinoshita was a native of Matsumoto, Nagano. After graduating from the predecessor of Waseda University, he returned to Nagano to work as a journal ...

.Beckmann, George M., and Genji Okubo.
The Japanese Communist Party 1922-1945
'. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1969. p. 3Mackie, Vera C.
Creating Socialist Women in Japan: Gender, Labour and Activism, 1900-1937
'. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. pp. 47, 232 ''Shinkigen'' argued in favour of

universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...

and social reform (through parliamentary means). The first issue of the magazine included an article by

Uchimura Kanzō was a Japanese author, Christian evangelist, and the founder of the Nonchurch Movement ( Mukyōkai) of Christianity during the Meiji and Taishō periods in Japan. He is often considered to be the most well-known Japanese pre-World War II pac ...

, which stated "Though I am not a socialist, I cannot refrain from the greatest sympathy for this gentemanly work."Howes, John F.
Japan's Modern Prophet: Uchimura Kanzô, 1861-1930
'. Asian religions and society series. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2005. pp. 137, 417 ''Shinkigen'' was characterized by a

humanistic Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

worldview. Its conception of socialism was spiritualistic and highly individualistic. The magazine frequently featured (Christian) religious motifs, with imagery such having an angel or a shining cross depicted on the cover page or with article titles such as 'The Revolutionary Thought of

Mother Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. ...

'. The magazine did however also feature criticisms of Christianity. In February 1906 ''Shinkigen'' and the other faction that emerged from ''Heiminsha'', the materialists, founded a political party together, the

Japan Socialist Party The was a major socialist and progressive political party in Japan which existed from 1945 to 1996. The party was the primary representative of the Japanese left and main opponent of the right-wing Liberal Democratic Party for most of its ex ...

. Like other leftwing and liberal media, ''Shinkigen'' was targeted by government repression. All in all, thirteen issues of ''Shinkigen'' were published.Pioneers of the Women's Movement in Japan: Hiratsuka Raicho and Fukuda Hideko seen through their Journals, Seito and Sekai Fujin
/ref> The Japan Socialist Party survived until February 1907, when it was banned by police following its first party congress.

' In 1961, a volume containing the editions of ''Shinkigen'' were reprinted by Meiji Bunken Shiryo Kankokai.

References

{{italic title 1905 establishments in Japan 1906 disestablishments in Japan Christian socialist publications Defunct political magazines published in Japan Magazines established in 1905 Magazines disestablished in 1906 Magazines published in Tokyo Monthly magazines published in Japan Socialist magazines Meiji socialism

History and profile

See also

References